Category: General Car Stuff

Tales of the Rat Fink

Speedhunters have just done a nice writeup on Ed “Big Daddy” Roth as a part of their “Misfits and Mavericks Month”. Whilst reading through the comments at the end of the story, I noticed someone posted up a non-descriptive Youtube link related to the subject. When I clicked the link I was greeted with a full length movie/documentary over 1hr in length. If you’ve got the time, I highly recommend watching this piece. Not only does it focus on Ed’s crazy creations, but it also touches on the history of hot rodding and how it boomed into a successful commercial industry, something I find very interesting. 1950’s California sure would have been a fun place to be growing up as a young gear-head.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gys-6znFEC8

Retro Rides Awards 2009, 2nd place x2!

Retro Rides holds annual awards with a range of categories, from Thread of the Year to Best Magazine, letting the members have their say on what they liked and didn’t like over the past 12 months. Build Threads was nominated for Best Blog, while the below photo I took was nominated for Best Static Shot.

I didn’t tell anyone, as I wanted the voting to happen naturally, and I ended up getting 2nd place in both categories. Pretty happy with that! Retro Rides is a great forum if you’re into classic metal so I hope you all check it out, and thanks to everyone who voted!

You can see the results from all of the different categories here.

South East Dub Fest 2010

I threw this little flyer together for Dom who’s organising the 2010 South East Dub Fest. I thought it came out pretty nice, although I’d love to do a more intricate one for another event when I have more time to spare. Any Melbournians who are interested in the VW/Audi scene should come and check it out.

Mäkelä Auto Tuning Projects

Every now and then, someone will submit a build that has already been featured, but it is far from a wasted effort as it can open up an opportunity for another story. Jani-Matti from Finland email me a build from Mäkelä Auto Tuning previously featured here, the immaculate restoration of a Group B Toyota Celica rally car. Even though I had already featured that particular build, I had another look at the site and remembered that MAT have more than one intricate build on the go.

Keep reading below and you will find a list of the projects documented in their galleries. I have listed all of them instead of releasing each one as separate features. Does this mean I can take a couple of weeks off now? Didn’t think so 🙁

MAT is truly at the top-end of the car restoration spectrum. Not only are their builds pure quality, but they also take the time to create and update a clean and informative website complemented with superb photography.

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BOWLS Tuner Challenge Update

Just before SEMA I posted here about the BOWLS Scion pickup being built for the Tuner Challenge. Well here it is in full effect with a second video showcasing more of the build. This is one smooth truck, perfectly executed, nice job BOWLS!

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The Infamous Project

“3 months – 2 Cars – 1 Dream”

Dave from Stance Is Everything sent me an email to let me know about The Infamous Project which is due to take place from January 1st until March 11th, 2010. During this time you will be able to view the customisation of two cars live a LIVE feed in the builder’s garage. This is taking the whole build thread/online journal concept to a new level. The cars in question are a 1992 BMW AC Schnitzer and a 1989 Mustang GT Convertible, so there’s something for the Euro and USDM lovers amongst us.

Could this live concept start a new trend in the online car documentation scene?

Head to http://theinfamousproject.com/ to read up more about the project(s) and be sure to bookmark it.

Chrome Bumper JDM Cruise

Today me and a couple of friends jumped in the Datto and ventured out into the cold & miserable Melbourne weather to attend a “chrome bumper” Japanese car meet. In total there was about 40 or 50 cars, from Datsuns to Mazdas, Toyotas, and even a couple of old Hondas. It was great to see all of the old J-tin in one spot, and hopefully once summer rolls around there will be more gatherings like this. A mate of mine snapped some pictures, come and take a look…

IMGP5095

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Another USA Roadtrip

Following on from the Rusty Road-Trip post, here we have another guy trekking his car across the US of A. Thanks to Matt for sending this link my way.

All these road trip posts are making me want to plan my own highway escapade. Except I don’t think I could be bothered doing it in a modified car putting up with low ground clearance and dodging pot-holes, I’d prefer to hire a mini-bus and grab a few close friends to drive up the east coast of Australia, hitting up all the beaches in summer. But back to the topic, there’s just something nice about a guy and his car going on a long drive, seeing the sites and spending some real quality time behind the wheel. For some people, the height of their car ownership is taking it to the race track, hitting up their favourite windy roads, cruising around their local city, or parking at an outdoor show. For others, a long and well-planned road trip is what really appeals to them, as it gives you ample time to slow your thoughts, think clearly, really get to know your car, and see parts of your country that you’ve never seen before.

On with the show…

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